J. Gresham Machen's Response to Modernism

Desiring God ^ | January 26, 1993 | John Piper

[HarleyD]

On New Year’s Eve, 1936, in a Roman Catholic hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, J. Gresham Machen was one day away from death at the age of 55. It was Christmas break at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, where he taught New Testament. His colleagues said he looked “deadly tired.” But instead of resting, he took the train from Philadelphia to the 20-below-zero winds of North Dakota to preach in a few Presbyterian churches at the request of Pastor Samuel Allen.

...

He had pneumonia and could scarcely breath. Pastor Allen came to pray for him that last day of 1936, and Machen told him of a vision that he had had of being in heaven: “Sam, it was glorious, it was glorious,” he said. And a little later he added, “Sam, isn’t the Reformed faith grand?”

The following day – New Year’s Day, 1937 – he mustered the strength to send a telegram to John Murray, his friend and colleague at Westminster. It was his last recorded word: “I’m so thankful for [the] active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.” He died about 7:30 P.M.

...

And so Machen was cut off in the midst of a great work – the establishment of Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

[HarleyD]

Excerpts allowed only but this is an excellent historical view of Machen and his fight against modernism.

From the article:

What he didn’t like was

1. the absence of historical perspective;

2.the lack of appreciation of scholarship;

3.the substitution of brief, skeletal creeds for the historic confessions;

4.the lack of concern with precise formulation of Christian doctrine;

5.the pietistic, perfectionist tendencies (for example, hang ups with smoking,20 etc.);

6.one-sided other-worldliness (that is, a lack of effort to transform culture); and

7.a penchant for futuristic chiliasm (or: pre-millenialism).

[Alex Murphy]

What he didn’t like was
1. the absence of historical perspective;
2.the lack of appreciation of scholarship;
3.the substitution of brief, skeletal creeds for the historic confessions;
4.the lack of concern with precise formulation of Christian doctrine;
5.the pietistic, perfectionist tendencies (for example, hang ups with smoking, etc.);
6.one-sided other-worldliness (that is, a lack of effort to transform culture); and
7.a penchant for futuristic chiliasm (or: pre-millenialism).

Ping to read later. Thanks for posting, Harley!

[Charles Henrickson]

Machen ping.

[darrellmaurina]

Thank you, Rev. Henrickson.

[darrellmaurina]

Pinging the Great Reformed Ping List. Machen narrative...

[Gamecock]

“I’m so thankful for [the] active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.”

Mortal man has not uttered finer last words.

[Lee N. Field]

downloading the audio now.

I should dig out my copy of Christianity & Liberalism for a re-read, in the wake of reading Ross Douthat's Bad Religion.